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Easter Island: Early Witnesses
George Cooke
708
ulcerations, was spoken of by them, and was attributed
to walking barefoot over certain running vines
usually growing among the rocks at the seaside.
On reaching such places they seemed to avoid them,
but nothing definite or reliable was elicited, and
subsequent inquiries were overlooked in the hurry
of departure.
VILLAGES AND HABITATIONS.
The villages on the island are three in number,
Hanga-roa, near the bay of the same name, on the
western side; Mataveri, within a mile of the
former, and Vaihu, near Cape Hoe-Hoe, on the
southerly coast of the island. Much the larger
part of the population is gathered in the two
villages first mentioned, between which the people
are about equally distributed. At the first named
is the church of the Catholic mission.
About a
half mile south of Mataveri, near the base of
Rana Kao, and separated from it by the most
distinctive valley on the island, is the residence
of Mr. Brander, the first erected and by far the
largest, roomiest, and most convenient;
modern-built, of wood, with lofty ceilings, and
porches, and shade trees growing about it. It is,
however, in a sad state of repair, and the
evidences of neglect and thriftlessness
are apparent everywhere.
Vaihu, which can no
longer be called a village, is about 4½ miles to
the eastward of Mataveri. It was at one time a
Catholic mission, and the church and parsonage,
still in a fair state of preservation, yet remain,
together with a few outbuildings, all of which are
occupied by Mr. Salmon and his employees, perhaps
a dozen in all. Divine service, under the
leadership of native "missionaries," is still
held in one portion of the church, while the
remainder is appropriated to other purposes,
mainly for the storage of wool, obtained from the
sheep, considerable quantities of which are
shipped to Tahiti.
The habitations of the ancient
image and platform builders, the stone huts on
Rana Kao, will be described in other reports.
Until quite recently the house of the modern Rapa
Nuiis were somewhat similar to those of the
Fijians, being rectangular in shape, about 6 to 8
feet wide by 10 to 15 feet long, with nearly
perpendicular sides, peak-roofed lengthwise, door
on side, and thatched all over.
A few years since
an Oregon lumber vessel was wrecked on the island
and much of her cargo, which consisted of boards,
scantling, etc., was brought ashore. Of these,
under suitable instruction, the natives built
themselves houses, and nearly all are now
domiciled in comparatively modern style
habitations and far more comfortably than
formerly. These houses, which after all have a
very forlorn look, are from 15 to 20 or more feet
long by from 10 to 15 feet wide. The
weatherboards are neatly fitted to the frame of
scantling, and they are covered with a board roof.
There are usually two doors hinged opposite each
other on the long sides of the house, and a
small window or two close by the entrances, and
sometimes glazed, admit a feeble light when the
doors are closed.
708